77 Names Added to Slain Journalists Memorial in DC

On Monday, March 30, 77 names were added to the Journalists Memorial in Washington D.C. The wall is part of the Newseum, a journalism and free speech museum, and according to its mission statement, its purpose is to "to help the public and the news media understand one another better and to raise public awareness to the important ole of free press in a democratic society."

Among the 77 names that were added to the wall on Monday were those of five Mexican journalists who fell victim to the drug violence that prevails in their country. Alberto Ibarguen, the Newseum's chairman said about the Mexican journalists' deaths, "These are not long ago and far away events. The story they're covering in Mexico is a story of drugs and corruption and guns."

Among the journalists honored was Armando Rodriguez, the crime reporter for El Diario in Ciudad Juárez that our group had posted about a couple of weeks ago. While our group is to focus on Mexico, the article also mentions reporters whom were honored on Monday from different countries. The other journalists include Magomed Yevloyev, the owner of a Russian news website, and Ryan Rendleman, a student reporter for the Daily Egyptian.

By: Keirin Ahmad, group Mexico

Experts Meet to Fight Mexican Narcotraffickers

Lying just beyond the US border from El Paso, Texas is Ciudad Juarez, a city that our group has been talking about over and over again because of its reoccurance in the news. Ciudad Juarez is one of the most dangerous in Mexico, and is a hot spot for Mexican drug trafficking and drug related violence.

According to an article on cnn.com, the city was bordered up by President Felipe Calderon and his security cabinet. The decision to fortress the city was made in order to hold meetings to devise a strategy to combat narcotraffickers. Fernando Gomez, Mexico's secretary of the interior, promised that "not a centimeter of the plaza will be ceded" to the drug traffickers.

Although Calderon and his cabinet are putting up a sincere fight against the war on drugs, crime-related groups are still ubiquitous, threatening everyone in their path. Although their threats are for a large part aimed at journalists, they have been also targeting policemen and government officials. "Last week, the chief of police was obligated to quit, after threats from organized crime to kill a policeman every day that he remained on the job. A day later, the mayor was threatened with death.

Drug trafficking, drug related activities, and the fight for drug pathways are the main cause of the violence in Mexico. Its not just effecting journalists who wish to expose the stories either. It is important to consider the terrifying casualty number for Mexico due to these violent crimes, and to have Mexico fix their problems before the cartels run even more rampant than they already do. It is clear and obvious from all of our research that drug trafficking and all related activities are directly responsible for the dangerous environment for journalist, and Mexico's press freedom level.

By: Keirin Ahmad

Mexico Group

Journalist fatally shot outside home in Ciudad Juárez

As both Liz and Urja have pointed out in our first two blog posts, the slaying of journalists has become a popular and unprecedented trend in Mexico over the past couple of years. Even with organizations such as Freedom House lending aid and encouraging Mexican officials to put an end to these atrocities, journalists are still living under the threat of being killed as a result of their profession. I believe it’s important to not only bring these killings to the attention of the world, but to also make them more tangible by sharing stories of individual reporters and their tragic stories.

Armando Rodríguez, a veteran police reported that had been investigating drug cartels in the city of Ciudad Juárez, was shot to death in November of 2008 while he was in his car outside of his own home. According to El Diario, the newspaper he had worked for, the gunmen had been waiting for him as he was preparing to bring his daughters to school. Rodríguez’s killing was the fifth against Mexican journalists in 2008.

According to the Dallas Morning News, after this event, the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York issued a statement urging Mexico to end the attacks and slayings of their journalists. “’The unprecedented wave of violence against the Mexican press must be halted immediately,’ said Carlos Lauría, the committee’s senior program coordination for the Americas.”

I completely agree with Lauría and the rest of the advocates for ending crimes against journalists in Mexico and around the world. It is completely ridiculous that governments and crime groups, which are sometimes unfortunately one in the same, are pinpointing these people to suppress the freedom of speech and press in their countries.

by Keirin Ahmad